


When It Started

by Luv2write



Series: Coming Home [1]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 00:37:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18560365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luv2write/pseuds/Luv2write
Summary: In this story Jack is already retired from the army and running a ranch down in Texas when he meets Angus Macgyver. The blond teenager quickly steals his heart, and comes to work at Jack's ranch with him. But Jack is worried that not everything is as it should be with Mac and his dad, and is determined to watch out for him.





	When It Started

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfiction and it's totally different from the show. I did the editing myself, so I apologize if I missed something.  
> Please read and let me know what you think!

Jack slowly sat up with a small groan at 5:00 as his alarm began blaring loud country music. After shutting it off, he got to his feet and shuffled to the bathroom to change.  
He then had a quick breakfast of sausage and eggs, before heading outside to start on some of the morning chores. While he had a foreman and several ranch hands who did a majority of the work without any instruction, he enjoyed getting out and working whenever he wanted to.  
While he was throwing hay out to the horses in the main corral he heard the clang of the chain hitting the gate and knew the blond 16 year old Mac had arrived. He had met the kid at a horse show 8 months ago. Mac had been helping a girl from his school named Riley, who was showing her colt in a halter show. Riley had left to sign in and get her number and left Mac to watch her horse. There had been some sort of loud commotion and someone's horse bolted, scaring both horses and people alike. When Riley's horse had started to freak out, Mac had been so calm and handled the animal like a pro, even though he told Jack later that he'd had very limited experience.  
When Jack had bumped into the kid later they talked for a while and he ended up offering young Angus Macgyver a job on his ranch. Since it was Summer, Mac was working for him 5 days a week and part time on some Saturdays, Jack practically had to make him stay home and rest over the weekend. Jack liked the kid a lot, he secretly thought of Mac as his son, and the kid really seemed to like Jack as well.  
Jack didn't know much about Mac's family, he knew that his Mom was dead and he had only met the kids Dad, James, once. But Mac's dad had seemed rather cold and uncaring towards Mac, which made Jack want to avoid him when possible.  
Jack walked over to the barn to meet Mac as the kid walked quickly in, a smile coming to his face when he saw Jack.  
Jack slung his arm over the kid's shoulder, who jerked slightly at the unexpected contact, and squeezed the boy's shoulders briefly before letting him go. "Morning, kid!"  
"Hey, Jack!" Mac replied, giving his boss/friend a smile.  
He dropped his shoulder bag on a bale of hay next to the barn door before turning back to Jack.  
"So, what do you need me to start on?"  
Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How about feeding the chickens and cleaning the coop? None of the other hands really like that job so I think they left it for you."  
He knew Mac actually liked the job of tending the chickens, which is why the hands had left it for him.  
"Sure thing." Mac responded. "I'll get started right away."  
With that he practically ran to the storeroom to get the feed for the chickens.  
Jack shook his head with a chuckle as the kid scurried off.  
"Boy, do I like that kid." He thought in amusement.

 

Mac whistled a slow tune as he finished laying down the fresh woodchips in the chicken coop. He could see Jack mending some boards on a corral fence down by the barn, and he had just saw the other hands ride out to take care of the other parts of the ranch.  
He shut the coop door, and after making shure the door was latched tight, he took the wheelbarrow to the compost pile and dumped the old bedding in it.  
He winced at the movement dumping brought his bruised shoulder. His Dad had been really upset with him yesterday for getting home late, and had grabbed his shoulder in a crushing grip as he yelled at his son. Mac had tried to apologize, but that only seemed to make it worse, so he just quietly listened to his Dad yell about how he would have to start being more strict since Mac couldn't seem to obey the most simple of instructions.  
Mac had a good excuse for being late, his jeep had gotten a flat tire, so he had to stop, and after a lot of hassle, managed to put the spare on it. Then after that he took his other tire in to get it repaired. But his Dad never listened anyway, so he didn't bother to even try and explain.  
Mac released a soft sigh as he returned the wheelbarrow to its place, then went and joined Jack at the corral.  
The ex-soldier glanced up as Mac stopped next to him.  
"Could you hand me a couple of those nails, Bud?"  
Mac quickly retrieved the nails from the ground, and after handing them to Jack, steadied the board while Jack hammered in the last nails.  
"Thanks." Jack said, standing and stretching as he got up from where he had been kneeling on the sandy ground. "I'm all done here, want to help me clean the stalls next?"  
Mac nodded obediently. "If you want me to."  
It still surprised him when Jack would ask if he would like to do something, instead of just demanding he do it without bothering to explain how. It made working with him a enjoyable experience, and Mac couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up with Jack for his father instead of James.

 

Jack walked into the dimly lit, yet slightly cooler, barn. He could here Mac trailing behind him as the boy hurried to keep up with Jack's long stride.  
Jack paused outside the tack room to hand Mac a shovel and get one for himself as well. They worked in companionable silence in the barn, neither having much to say. Mac was a good worker and Jack would have to make the kid stop and take a break, because once he started something he was determined to finish it, and finish it to perfection. And the kid was super smart, Jack couldn't believe all of the sort of things that Mac was knowledgeable about. He had decided that boy was one of a kind.

Mac left the ranch at around 3:00 that afternoon, giving Jack a tired wave as he drove over the cattle guard and pulled carefully onto the road.  
Jack yawned and glanced at his watch, the hands weren't due back for at least another hour, so he headed inside to get something to eat.

 

Mac came to a stop at the light minutes from his house. The traffic had been worse then usual, and he'd only had his drivers license for a few months, so he was driving extra careful. His light turned green, and after glancing cautiously around the intersection, he gently put his foot on the gas and started driving across. Suddenly an SUV came flying through the intersection, and running the red light, barreled straight into the passenger side of his jeep.  
Mac saw the vehicle seconds before the impact, but was unable to do anything. The last thing he remembers is his head hitting the drivers side window, a sharp pain, and then everything went black.

 

The next morning was Saturday, the day Jack usually slept in, and he was woken by the ding of his phone announcing he'd gotten a text. He glanced sleepily at his clock, noting it was 7:30, before picking up his phone. Sitting up, he swiped the screen and opened his phone, seeing the text was from Mac he immediately opened it.

Mac: Hey Jack. Wanted to let you know I won't be coming in today or any of next week.

Delta: Why not, kid?

There was a few minutes of silence before Mac finally responded.

Mac: Was in an accident on my way home yesterday.

Delta: What?!?! Are you okay?? Are you in the hospital??

Mac: I'm okay, Jack. I got broadsided by some SUV that ran a light at the intersection I was crossing. I have a slight fracture in my left arm, but it should be fine in a few weeks. I did go in, but my dad drove me home last night.

Delta: That doesn't sound okay to me, bud.

Mac: Doctor said it could have been worse, I'll heal quickly. But I have to take it easy for at least a week. Sorry I won't be able to come in at all next week.

Delta: Don't worry about it, buddy. You just rest and take it easy. Mind if I stop by to see you sometime?

Jack waits for a reply, and frowns when he doesn't get one.

Delta: Mac? You still there?

It's a another few minutes before a reply finally pops up on his screen.

Mac: Sorry, I kind of spaced out. Pain meds and all. I guess you can come by if you want to.

Delta: Okay, kid, see you sometime soon. 

Mac: Okay.

Jack turns off his phone and gazes intently out his window. He noticed Mac's attitude had definitely changed at the end of their conversation, but what he didn't know was why, and he wasn't sure if he believed the pain medicine thing Mac told him.  
He shook his head. "Quit it, Dalton." He told himself. "Stop trying to see problems when everything's fine. Mac has no reason to lie to you, so stop it."  
With that he rolled out of bed and headed to his closet. Even as he settled into his morning routine he couldn't quite shake that nagging feeling that something was off with Mac.

 

Mac was lying on his bed, with his arm in a light cast and wearing a sling, and in the middle of texting Jack when his bedroom door was flung open and his dad stormed in. Mac jumped in surprise and quickly sat up, his phone falling to the floor, when he flinched at the sound of his door hitting his desk. Mac didn't try to retrieve his phone, even when he heard it buzz, he just stared wide eyed at his dad.  
"What were you thinking!" His dad yelled angrily. "You wrecked your jeep and I can't afford to get it fixed! Why are you constantly causing me so much trouble?"  
Mac felt his jaw drop in shock. His dad hadn't seemed that angry last night at the hospital, and it wasn't like Mac had asked that SUV to hit him. But he kept his mouth shut and his gaze on the wall in front of him as his dad ranted and raved about what a careless and immature teen he was, he knew speaking would only make things worse. But he must have looked to unfocused for his dad's liking, for he was suddenly jerked back to attention as his dad sent a painful slap to the side of his face, making him reel back.  
"Are you listening to me, boy?" He demanded, his hand still up like he was ready to hit Mac again.  
Mac gulped and couldn't help but cringe slightly away from his dad, fear in his wide blue eyes.  
"Yes, Sir." He stammered quickly. "I'm listening."  
His dad had always been quick to scold and punish, telling Mac that everything needed to be perfect, but recently he had been much worse. Never hesitating to hurt Mac if he thought he deserved it, and Mac never knew what would set him off.  
His dad stared closely at him for a moment before letting out a huff of frustration and turning to leave. He hesitated at the door, and for a moment Mac thought he was going to apologize, but the man just shook his head and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.  
Mac shakily reached down and picked up his phone, staring down at Jack's texts of concern.  
"He's more concerned about me then my own father." He thought sadly as he quickly finished texting his friend and father figure.  
He set the phone down on his nightstand, and after turning off his bedroom light curled up with his good arm under the pillow. And only then in the quiet darkness did he allow the tears to fall.

 

Sunday afternoon Jack pulled up in Mac's driveway, and after shutting off his truck, left the vehicle and walked up the pathway to the front door. The Macgyvers house looked pretty secluded from the rest of the neighborhood, he figured it must have been built before the subdivision was put in. It was a smaller house with a large deck in the back that extended partway around the house, and Jack could smell smoke from the fire pit that Mac had told him was there.  
Stopping in front of the door he rang the bell twice and waited. After a few minutes of silence he tried again. This time he heard a muffled sound and a minute later Mac came hurrying around a corner and to the front door. Mac opened the door with a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, instead he looked rather upset.  
"Jack." He said somewhat surprised. "What are you doing here?"  
Jack rolled his eyes with a smile. "Hello to you as well, Mac."  
"Oh, sorry, Jack." The boy replied sheepishly. "I just wasn't expecting you to come over today."  
"I was in the area running errands and thought I'd drop by." Jack replied with a shrug. "Mind if I come in?"  
"Oh, sure." Mac said, quickly stepping back and letting Jack enter.  
After Mac had shut the door his dad came around the corner.  
"Mac, who was it?" Mac's dad, James, demanded. He stopped suddenly when he noticed Jack. "Oh, Jack, right? My son works for you at your ranch."  
Jack reached out and quickly shook the man's hand, James grip was loose and his smile looked forced.  
"Did you need something?" James asked with a hint of impatience in his voice. "Did Mac cause you some sort of trouble last week at work?"  
James set his hand down on Mac's shoulder and the boy jerked in surprise, looking slightly uncomfortable.  
Jack quickly shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Mac told me about his accident, and how he wouldn't be working this week, so I thought since I was in the area I would stop by and check on him."  
"Well, as you can see he is fine." James said, gesturing with his other hand at Mac, the boy flinching back to avoid being hit by his dad's hand. "Although I'm afraid the same can't be said for the jeep, it's costing me fortunes to get it repaired. My son should have known better then to be so careless when driving."  
Jack couldn't stop the frown that appeared on his face. "It doesn't sound like the accident was Mac's fault though."  
James snorted. "I'm sure that's how he made it sound, but my son is known for being easily distracted."  
He saw Mac shift uncomfortably, obviously not liking how they were talking as if he were not there.  
Not wanting to get in a fight with the kid's dad, since the man could make Mac stop working for him, he just said. "Accidents happen, that could have happened to anyone."  
James shrugged carelessly. "Perhaps."  
After a moment of awkward silence Jack shifted towards the door. "I guess I'll get out of your way now." He shook James hand then turned to mac, whom James had finally let go of, and ruffled the boys hair, making him smile a little at Jack. "See you at work next week Mac, you take it easy."  
"I will." Mac said quietly, his eyes full of an unrecognizable emotion. "Thanks, Jack."  
Jack nodded and walked out the door that Mac hurried ahead to open for him.  
But even as he got back into his car and started back to the ranch, he just couldn't get that blond eyed boy out of his mind. Something was off, and he was determined to figure out what.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to get more into this and make it part of a series, so I hope y'all liked it. And if you have any ideas for more parts of the series let me know! Thanks for reading!


End file.
